LOCAL drone operators could be involved in a project to take a new aerial photograph of Westbury, to record the town’s growth.

Councillors are keen to see how much the town has developed over the 28 years since the last aerial photograph they have was taken.

Cllr Ian Cunningham, the mayor of Westbury, asked if the council can commission an aerial photograph of the town to compare with the one they have from 1991, which is displayed in their offices at The Laverton.

He said: “I thought it would be very interesting to produce the same view to show how much the town has changed, as well as being useful for our neighbourhood planning team.

“In the past, we would have relied on either a commissioned flight or a chance offer from one of the firms that took photos and then offered them for sale.

“It occured to me that with modern drone technology, prices are now far lower and much more affordable.

“We have also been talking to one of the builders on the Trowbridge Road to see if they can help.

“I just thought it would be interesting to compare the same views with earlier photos and to highlight the changes.

“The photos would be an attraction for the Laverton if the old and new pictures were placed side by side and in public.

“Also, a new set of photographs would be very useful for the neighbourhood planning teams.

“It would enable us to point out the spaces in the town and say to developers, there is a space you can build on, or you can’t build there.”

Cllr Sally Hendry, who is also chairman of the Heritage Society, said she has two copies of aerial photos of Westbury from as early as the 1920s and 1930s, bought from an internet website. She also has some from the 1960s.

Cllr Cunningham said Westbury has grown dramatically over the past 30-40 years and is now 30 per cent larger than it was in 1990.

The historic market town is currently seeing hundreds of new homes built along the Trowbridge Road close to the new Lidl supermarket, and elsewhere.

The housing target for the Westbury community area is 1,615 new homes, of which 1,000 have already been built. The remaining allocation of 615 new homes would be split 500 in Westbury and 115 in surrounding villages.